the knots and unresolved questions –

“Ambiguous” terms, non-secondary issues and many “perplexities” on the one hand, on the other the belief that the truce in Gaza has never been so close. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel for a new mission to reduce the “significant” distances between Israel and Hamas on the ceasefire proposal promoted by the US in an attempt to put an end to more than ten months of fighting in the Gaza Strip. American negotiators, led by CIA chief William Burns, presented the proposal to the parties on Friday, in the hope of concluding the negotiations this week, but – the Washington Post highlights – “strong doubts remain”.

They are not motivated only by the words of Hamas on Saturday, which considers the declaration of progress in the talks an “illusion” and has again accused Israel of having imposed new conditions. The proposal supported by the US and the other mediators, Qatar and Egypt, includes a six-week ceasefire, the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the main population centers of Gaza. The main points of contention, according to diplomatic sources cited by the newspaper, were Israel’s insistence on maintaining a military presence along the so-called ‘Philadelphi Route’, the corridor between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of checkpoints to control Palestinians who want to return to northern Gaza. There are also unresolved issues over the list of Palestinian detainees to be released by Israel. A reduction in Israeli military presence (rather than a withdrawal of troops) along the Philadelphia Route and a plan to hand over management of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (under Israeli supervision) are the steps being taken to bridge the gap, according to a Hamas official.

And, the Post writes, even if an agreement were to be reached, there are “widespread doubts” that it could lead to an end to the conflict in Gaza due to the “ambiguities” of the “language” of the text and, after the release of most of the hostages by Hamas in the first six weeks of the truce, Israel and Hamas should start negotiations for a lasting ceasefire. But, diplomats quoted by the newspaper say, if Israel “sees” the failure of the talks, it could resume military operations in Gaza. And Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri clarified to the Post that “there are no guarantees or commitments to stop the war after the implementation of the first phase of the agreement.” “And,” he concluded, “why should we make an agreement that does not lead to the end of the war?”